Scheelite is highly sought after by collectors for its brilliant blue fluorescence under short-wave UV light, which is a key diagnostic feature. It typically occurs as sharp bipyramidal crystals in skarn deposits formed by the contact metamorphism of limestone with igneous intrusions.
Is this scheelite?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch scheelite with a known reference. Scheelite sits at Mohs 4.5-5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Scheelite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Scheelite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: white, yellow, brown, orange, colorless.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: tetragonal. Typical habit: bipyramidal crystals, granular, massive.
Often confused with
Scheelite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Quartz is the harder of the two (Mohs 7 vs. 4.5-5).
How to tell apart: Scheelite is noticeably harder (Mohs 4.5-5 vs. 3).
How to tell apart: Scheelite is noticeably harder (Mohs 4.5-5 vs. 3.5); luster reads vitreous on Scheelite and adamantine on Powellite.
Often found alongside scheelite
Minerals reported to co-occur with scheelite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- CaWO₄
- Mohs hardness
- 4.5-5
- Density
- 5.9-6.1 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Tetragonal
- Crystal habit
- Bipyramidal Crystals, Granular, Massive
- Cleavage
- Distinct On {101}
- Fluorescence
- Bright Sky-blue or Yellowish-white Under SW UV
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Ore of Tungsten, Collector, Fluorescent Specimens
- Host rock
- Skarns, Hydrothermal Veins, Granite Pegmatites
- Typical price
- $10-100 thumbnail, $50-500 cabinet
Where rockhounds find scheelite
19 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- China
- Austria
- South Korea
- USA
- Mexico
U.S. states with scheelite
Each link opens a state-specific list of mapped rockhounding spots that produce scheelite.
Field-hunting tip
Look in skarns, hydrothermal veins, granite pegmatites country, the host setting where scheelite typically forms. If you start seeing fluorite, molybdenite, cassiterite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a bipyramidal crystals, granular, massive habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Utah, Montana, North Carolina. Start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify scheelite?+
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Find scheelite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
